Wheeling and Dealing

These are the hard-core cyclists, and theyre here to buy and sell, get in, get out, then go for a bike ride, says VeloSwap manager Reese Brown. Over the years, weve tried to tinker with the VeloSwap model and offer more to the consumers, but it turns out people arent really here to be entertained. The event has become quite a sprint.

So get here early  Bike Denvers outdoor bicycle check opens at 8 a.m.  because the best deals go fast. When we took over this event years ago, we were thinking eBay and online retail would eventually put us out of business, Brown continues. But it hasnt happened. People like that physical interaction, that touch-and-feel moment where you find the treasure youve been searching for and you have it in your hands.

Denvers Yellow Designs BMX Stunt Team will provide the days only official entertainment, with ten-minute shows starting at 11:30 a.m. and staggered through the afternoon; Denver bike rag Kickstand Magazine is sponsoring the Chill Lounge in case you want to hang with any of your fellow bike nuts. But the real action will be at the booths, where vendors will hawk vintage bikes and parts and A-list exhibitors like Garmin Slipstream, Tomac Bikes and Mavic will show off the latest models. Everybodys catching wind of how big this thing has gotten, Brown says. VeloSwap runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt Street; for more info and tickets, $8, go to www.veloswap.competitor.com.
Sat., Oct. 23, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 2010